• Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• VLTs, Race Carrels and Tables are sanitized between customer use.

In this edition . . .

• What's happening at the Downs?
• New Food & Drink Specials
• Stallion Following Sea Arrives
• Christmas Buffet
• TravyFootball Week 12
• Retired Racehorses Living Their Best Life
• Looking For a Special Photo?
• Snapshot in Time - Northern Approach
• New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance
• Carryover Watch
• Dark Horse Bets Download
• Rich Strike Withdrawn from HORA Sale
• Woodbine Update: Racing Dates, Wagering, Taylor Turf
• Kentucky Derby Future Pool 1
• The Best of Bob - Racing Through the Centuries
• Upcoming Events

2023 Player's Choice Online Tournaments

• Saturday, December 16

PRIZES: 1st place: $1,000 (plus a trophy), 2nd place: $400, 3rd place: $200, 4th place: $100, 5th place: $50

Entry fee is $25. $2 WPS on one horse in any 10 races (harness, thoroughbred or quarter horse) from any North American track on the contest day. Click here for full rules.

2023 TOURNAMENT WINNERS:

Player's Choice Tournaments

• Saturday, January 21 - Randy Premachuk
• Saturday, February 18 - Steve Holborn
• Saturday, March 18 - Nicole Baker
• Saturday, April 15 - Barry Mymko
• Saturday, May 13 - Brad Ostrove

Las Vegas Challenge Tournaments

• Monday, June 19 - Ron Zurba
• Monday, July 10 - Murray Chaban
• Monday, July 31 - Tanis Atras
• Monday, August 21 - Brian McKellar
• Monday, September 18 - David Blake

Player's Choice Tournaments

• Saturday, October 14 - George Williams
• Saturday, November 11 - Cecelia Liebrecht

Club West Gaming Lounge

140 VLTs available daily in our spacious Club West Gaming Lounge from 10 a.m. through 1 a.m. Please note that our VLTs are sanitized between play. Click here for a full list of games available at ASD.



• Draws to win 20 break-open tickets! Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

• Draws for $20 in FREE VLT Spins Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. One recent lucky draw winner turned their $20 into $1,604!

$11.95 Daily Lunch Specials

Enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks from our Club West Dining Room menu or try our ever changing $11.95 lunch special.

• Club West Dining Room & Lounge menu
• Daily Happy Hour specials

Daily Drink Features All Day Long

• Monday - Margarita $6 (lime, peach or strawberry)
• Tuesday - Corona $5
• Wednesday - Wine $4.50 (6 oz. glass of house white or house red)
• Thursday - Beer $4.75 (house pint of beer)
• Friday - Trifecta Tea $6 (Absolut peach vodka, lemonade, sweet tea)
• Saturday - RazDerby Lemonade $6 (Absolut raspberry vodka, lemonade)
• Sunday - Caesar $6

Daily Evening Chef's Specials

Monday - BBQ Ribs $19.95: Smoky char-broiled ribs with our signature BBQ sauce. Served with french fries and coleslaw.

Tuesday - Tacos $9.95: Two flour tortillas stuffed with taco beef, chicken or fish, lettuce, green onions, cheese and diced tomato. Served with a drizzle of avocado cilantro lime sauce and taco chips.

Wednesday - Two Topping Pizza $14.95: Thin crust pizza with mozzarella and tomato sauce. Choose from pepperoni, bacon, ham, spicy beef, chicken, tomato, mushroom, peppers, black olives or onions.

Thursday - Chipotle Mozza Burger $14.95: Our signature sirloin patty and crispy bacon smothered in melted mozzarella. Topped with fresh sliced tomato, fried onion rings, chipolte mayo and sweet bold barbeque sauce.

Friday - Steak & Suds $24.95: 8 oz. Sirloin steak charbroiled and seasoned with our smoky dry rub. Served with fresh vegetables and a choice of mashed potatoes or french fries. Plus a complimentary pint of ASD Lucky Lager.

Saturday - Prime & Wine $29.95: Certified Angus Prime Rib (8 oz. cut.) Served with fresh vegetables and a choice of mashed potatoes or french fries, horseradish, and Yorkshire pudding au jus. Plus a complimentary 6 oz. glass of house wine.

Sunday - Fish & Chips $14.95: Two pieces of beer battered cod with tartar sauce and lemon. Served with french fries and coleslaw.

Reservations are not required. The above specials are available from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Everyone who purchases one of the above specials will receive a coupon to play our free "Pick to Win" game in the VLT lounge for a chance to spin our lucky cash wheel where you can win up to $100 cash!

New Stallion Following Sea Arrives in Manitoba

Graded stakes winner by Eclipse Award winning sprinter an excellent addition to Manitoba Stallion ranks

Following Sea wins the 2021 Vosburgh Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct.

Owner-breeder-trainer Garry Naherniak reports that Manitoba’s newest stallion, Following Sea, has arrived in Manitoba and will stand at Rivard Stables in Elie, Manitoba for the 2024 breeding season.

“I’m already getting tons of enquiries,” said Naherniak. “This horse has it all.”

Recently retired from racing, this exciting new stallion prospect won the Vosburgh Stakes(G2) and earned over $850,000. Purchased from the famed Spendthrift Farm, Following Sea is by Eclipse Champion Sprinter Runhappy out of stakes winner Quick Flip by Speightstown.

Following Sea broke his maiden at Oaklawn Park in April 2021 in his second start, stopping the timer in 1.09.92 for the six furlongs for owner/breeders Spendthrift Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher. He followed that up with another win in early June at Belmont in his next start and was then sent to the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1), where he finished second going 1 1/8-miles.

In his next start, Following Sea was shortened back up and finished third in the Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) going 7 furlongs at Saratoga. He then went on to win the Vosburgh Stakes (G2) at Belmont, running 6 furlongs in 1.09.20. To finish up his 3-year-old campaign, Following Sea finished a troubled third in the Breeders Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar and second in the Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct.

“Following Sea is great looking and an outstanding mover,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He had tons of speed.”

Derek MacKenzie of Vinery Sales, who brokered the stallion sale with Matt Bowling, stated, “Following Sea was an explosive racehorse, specializing on dirt at 6 to 8 furlongs. His 3-year-old campaign was very impressive as he shipped back and forth across the US a couple of times and ran well at numerous major tracks, winning the Grade 2 Vosburgh and placing in multiple Grade 1s.

“He was tough on the track and is an awesome physical specimen, being that he is both big and pretty. I remember inspecting the Spendthrift yearlings in the spring of 2019 and we at Vinery Sales ranked him #1 as the best yearling physically we had seen that year. This is an incredible stallion prospect to stand in Manitoba, and I would expect mares to not only travel within Manitoba to him but for breeders to send mares from the other Western provinces and most likely some from Ontario and the US as well.”

Following Sea joins top Manitoba sires Nonios, Vengeful Wildcat, Speculating, and recent arrival Ami’s Holiday in the stallion ranks for the 2024 breeding season, and will stand for $2,000. Based on his high class speed, both on the track and in his pedigree, Following Sea is an excellent addition to the Manitoba thoroughbred breeding industry, and should make a great cross for many Manitoba-bred mares.

All aboard!

Following Sea (#1) finishes third in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) after lacking room turning for home.

Christmas Buffet

Join us for a fabulous Christmas Buffet on Saturday, December 23.

• Roast Turkey
• Ham with Dijon Cream Sauce
• Sweet & Sour Meatballs
• Apple, Onion & Tarragon Stuffing
• Turkey Gravy & Cranberry Sauce
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Green Beans Almondine
• Caesar Salad
• Greek Vegetable Salad
• Broccoli Bacon Salad
• Kolbassa & Cheddar
• Pickles, Sweet Mix and Beets
• Breads, Dinner Rolls with Butter
• Pumpkin Pie, Dainties, Cakes & Cookies
• $34.95 per person, Kids 12 & under $29.95, Kids 5 & under $16.95

Reservations are available from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Call 204-885-3330 today!

Top NFL Picks by TravyFootball: Week 12

Dolphins over Jets (Friday 2:00 p.m.): The first ever “Black Friday” NFL game -- because playing on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays isn’t enough -- will go down between the Jets and Dolphins. It took 11 weeks, but Jets coach Robert Salah finally pulled the plug on the Zach Wilson experiment. Why it took so long is beyond me. Salah finally decided enough is enough after being one of his biggest supporters along the way. Not only is Wilson no longer the starting quarterback, but he’s not even the backup. He has been relegated to third string. Enter Tim Boyle, who has bounced around the league for five years and all of a sudden finds himself as a starting QB. I question how he’s even in the NFL after a less than stellar college career (in three seasons at Connecticut, he had 1 touchdown and 13 interceptions) but, it’s the Jets, so it really can’t get any worse for them. Miami played a close game with the Raiders last week, but I think their biggest win was that Tyreek Hill avoided a serious injury after he had to leave the game for a while. 

Bengals over Steelers (Sunday noon): The Steelers/Browns matchup from last week was one of the more… painful games to watch. I don’t know why I subjected myself to watching that entire game (probably for fantasy football purposes) but that’s all I can think of. Pittsburgh has been lucky to win six games at this point because their offense is atrocious. Head coach Mike Tomlin must have seen the light because he finally fired his offensive coordinator, Matt Canada. Steelers fans have been wanting this for weeks now. How bad did it get you ask? Bad enough that "fire Canada" chants would break out at Pittsburgh PENGUINS games! The Steelers don't tend to fire coaches mid-season, the last time they did that was in 1941, so you know this recent firing was something that HAD to happen. The Bengals will now have to figure out a way to win games without their star QB Joe Burrow, who tore a ligament in his wrist last week against the Ravens. Jake Browning, a five-year vet out of the University of Washington, will be at the helm the rest of season. Despite his lack of experience, I do think he will do just enough to beat the Steelers.  

Giants over Patriots (Sunday noon): Another game that has potential to be a stinker this weekend, the winner of this game actually might be the loser as it will decrease their chances at getting the first overall draft pick in 2024, in which there are multiple QB prospects available, something both these teams desperately need. The once mighty Patriots have fallen on hard times ever since Tom Brady left. Mac Jones didn’t turn out to be the QB they thought he was and will definitely be replaced, and there’s even rumblings that Bill Belichick might not be back with them next year either. The Giants won a very strange game against the Commanders last week. Rookie QB Tommy “don’t call me Danny” DeVito was sacked nine times but still managed to throw for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who literally still lives at home with his parents. The Giants defense can be good at times, and really terrible at other times, but due to the lack of any threat coming from the Patriots offense, I see them forcing a few turnovers that will get them the win here. 

Last week: 2-1

Overall: 19-14

"I Won Bigg" Wagering Group

The "I Won Bigg" wagering group will meet every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on the second floor plaza. This week they will be playing Woodbine and Del Mar. $20 a share. Email Larry at [email protected] for more information.

This week we close out our look of the final day of racing that occurred in November 1991. It was a 118-day season with the last day of racing coming on November 11th – the latest date for thoroughbred horse racing at the Downs. The Monday Remembrance Day card saw owner/trainer Wendell Mustard Jr. win the 6th race with Northern Approach – Jeff Litton up. Look carefully… How many Mustards can you spot in the photo? (Gerry Hart photo)

New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance

Sunday, December 31

• Prime Rib buffet served from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
• Late lunch served
• Dancing until 1:00 a.m.
• Door prizes
• Free coat check
• Huge dance floor
• Party favours 
• Free VLT Game for a chance to win a share of $2,024!
• DJ Music & Lights
• Hosted by Kathy Kennedy
• $79.95 plus taxes & gratuities

This event sells out every year so order your tickets today! Call 204-885-3330.

Rich Strike Withdrawn From Keeneland HORA Sale

Manitoba-connected 2022 Kentucky Derby winner will stay in light training

Rich Strike schools in the Keeneland paddock ahead of the 2022 Breeders' Cup. (Anne M. Eberhardt photo)

Owner Rick Dawson announced Nov. 16 via a text message that 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike, who is out of the Manitoba-bred champion mare Gold Strike, would be withdrawn from the Nov. 17 Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale and remain in light exercise. More from the Blood Horse here.

Woodbine Updates: Racing Dates, Wagering, Taylor Turf

Purses for Woodbine thoroughbred racing will remain flat for 2024, 129 racing dates

Javier Castellano guides Fev Rover to victory in the $750,000 E.P.Taylor Stakes for owner Tracy Farmer and trainer Mark Casse. (Woodbine/ Michael Burns Photo)

Woodbine Entertainment hosted a Stronger Together town hall meeting on the backstretch on Wednesday, November 22 with new CEO Michael Copeland,  Bill Ford (General Counsel & Executive Vice-President of Racing) and ​Tim Lawson (Vice-President of Thoroughbred Racing). Topics discussed included racing dates for 2024, purses, the King’s Plate date, property development, wagering and repair of the E.P. Taylor turf course. More from Jennifer Morrison at the Canadian Thoroughbred here.

Kentucky Derby Wagering

Future Wager Pool 1. Locked at 14-1. All Others At 4-5.

Locked winning the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland (Equisport photo)

Six months in advance of Kentucky Derby 50, the pari-mutuel field of “All Other Colts and Geldings” closed as the odds-on 4-5 favourite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW). Breeders' Futurity (Grade 1) winner Locked, who runs in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), was the 14-1 second choice. More from the Paulick Report here.